Schrock’s-eye view, Day 2 of Far East D-1 Soccer Tournaments
Published: May 22, 2012
Day 2 of tournament action and the injuries are starting to pile up. A horrible sight to see Guam High’s versatile former All-Island keeper/midfielder Melanie Strudthoff show up with the help of crutches after reinjuring a knee in yesterday’s afternoon match, as well as midfielder Tayler Kukes go down with a pulled hamstring.
Christian Academy Japan’s Gene Jeong suffered two, yes, two broken wrists against Yokota after attempting a bicycle kick while the Knights led the match 5-0. Tough break for CAJ, which seemed to find its form today.
Despite the injuries the futbol must continue, and boy, oh boy did we see some thrilling matches on day two! A scoreless battle between Kinnick and Kubasaki on the girls’ side ended with a flurry of chances, generating two unbelievable saves.
Kinnick’s Kaile Johnson was stoned on a breakaway by Dragons keeper Korina Martinez with five minutes before the final whistle. Martinez was outdone, however, after Emily Stith miraculously swatted away a point-blank shot from Kubasaki’s Stephanie Dowse. Stith’s right glove has become famous as of late, after denying American School In Japan’s Katey Helwick’s shot from six feet away in a match at Kinnick on May 11.
A Panther showdown between Yokota’s and Kadena’s girls ended 1-1 after a laser of a shot from Yokota’s Gaby Navarro found the upper right corner.
Heading to the boys’ action, CAJ and Seoul American put forth early candidates for the Golden Boot, awarded to the top goal scorer at tournament’s end. Seoul’s Josh Chung and David Voelker each tallied four goals, while CAJ’s Shuhei Tanaka and Kyle Smoker each netted four of their own after a 7-0 rout over Yokota.
Girl’s scoring leaders include Kiyomi Powell and Helwick from ASIJ each with two goals, while Mari McDonald’s four-goal performance for Kinnick against CAJ puts her out in front.
The boys will continue pool play throughout Wednesday, with the knockout stages starting Thursday morning. The conclusion of Tuesday brought with it the final pool play matches on the girls’ side, which means we have seeding for the first knockout round starting bright and early Wednesday morning.
From pool A:
A1- No surprise defending champs ASIJ earn the A1 seed with six points.
A2- Kadena beats out Yokota on goal differential.
A3- Yokota one goal short of the #2 seed.
A4- Guam High tallying just one point.
From pool B: Kubasaki, Kinnick, Seoul all with five points. Comes down to goal differential.
B1- Kubasaki +5
B2- Kinnick +4
B3- Seoul +1
B4- CAJ unable to get on the scoreboard
Wednesday’s knockout matches:
0800 ASIJ v. CAJ
1000 Kubasaki v. Guam
1200 Kadena v. Seoul
1400 Kinnick v. Yokota
See ya out there for Day 3! Oh, keep wishing for NO RAIN! ‘Twas beautiful today.
